Summer Bitters
by Ember Lee
Summary: It was suppose to have been the end to a normal, relaxing summer. So why did it go so wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Prelude

It was suppose to have been the end to a normal, relaxing summer. One where we could continue to ignore our drumsticks and guitar picks chilling in our draws, pick up a beachball or two and chill at the pool (most likely at Stella's house). No flashy interviews. No screaming crowds of our _adoring _fans. No sour-faced critics breathing down our necks, analysing our every move. A fantastic end to a summer where we just normal teenagers without the pressure of being famous rockstars. So why did it go so wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

_August 2nd 2011_

It was late in the evening by the time we finally arrived back in the city limits, our little car bumping along the uneven highway at a steady pace. Though I love our tiny tour vehicle, I couldn't wait to jump out and stretch my legs. Crammed in the backseat next to the lanky Wen, and soccer buff Scott is not an ideal way to travel, especially for six hours. I wish I had at least manned up and challenged Stella for the boot. At least she had some room amongst all the luggage.

"…_And that was 'Uprising' by Touch, who have been rumoured to have contacted the newest kids on the block-"_

"_No, not-"_

"_Yes, __**the**_Lemonade Mouth_, about performing a remix of their first hit single, _Determinate-_"_

"Hey…"

"Yes Charlie?"

"When did Touch get in contact with us?"

Everyone in the car chuckled at my general confusion. I hadn't heard anything about this and it made me wonder what other secrets the gang was hiding from me. Trying to avoid a small panic attack about their loyalty, I watched as Mo twisted around in her seat, smiling as she reached out to ruffle my hair.

"They didn't Charlie. It's a publicity stunt." She murmured affectionately, easing my pounding heart.

"Mohini, turn around please. The seatbelt is meant for your front, not your back." Slumping over the seat in annoyance, she risked a quick eye roll at me as her dad tried to pull her back down, clutching the steering wheel tightly as he did.

"I'm fine Baba. See, sitting properly again." She soothed, settling back in her original seat, squished between Olivia and her father.

"Just do not do that again. It's bad enough that your young friend, Stella, is sitting in the boot-"

"I'm perfectly fine."

"-I do not want anyone to get hurt or risk injury if there is a potential accident."

"But we won't have an accident Baba, as your driving is perfect as always."

Wen nudged me painfully in the ribs, and the glare I originally directed in his direction eased into a grin at the knowing look on his face. Sensing our humour, Mohini glared at us through the rear-view mirror, making us advert our gaze quickly. She was such a kill joy at times. Though she had successfully managed to key her dad into her relationship with Scott without him exploding, he was still on edge around her doing anything that made her seem grown up…or at least, 'growing up'. I was just glad he had agreed to accompany us on our min tour. If he hadn't I would have never gotten permission to go. Mum is so over protective at times…

"Hey, did I just see a sign proclaiming that home is only three miles away?" Stella asked suddenly, slamming herself against the back of the car, her face pressed up to the glass.

"Stella, please sit down." Mr Banjaree pleaded, glancing at her as he tried to continue navigate the highway.

"Sorry….I'm just so excited!" she grinned, bouncing in her makeshift seat as she continued staring outside at the rapidly moving scenery.

"Well, a fortnight away from home, a huge sell out concert, concerning interviews, and major travelling would make you want to return home." Mohini counted off on her fingers.

"I know, I know. It's just, even with the hype of returning home for _me, _Mesa has grown on me, and I'm actually excited to be back." Stella sighed by my ear, surprising me. "Sorry Charlie. Didn't mean to make you jump."

I waved off her apology and leaned back, noticing the tired look on Scott's face as he stared out the window. Though he was (admittedly) really nice in helping us out back at the Rising Star competition, he was still awkwardly shuffling his way into our little group. Also, I had a sneaking suspicion that Ray was still sending him hate mail, which obviously wasn't helping. But he had Mo. And apparently that's all he needed.

"Look, look, look! We're here!" Stella screamed suddenly, unable to contain her happiness as she jumped up again, pointing over our shoulders at the city lights. We couldn't help it either. Everyone cheered.

Ten minutes later, we were piling out of our clown car and rushing into the waiting arms of friends and family, dragging our stinky luggage with us. Hey, we're still a bunch of young teenagers. We don't do our own washing unless cruelly forced to. Mum practically strangled me half to death with her loving embrace, before dad rescued me with a more 'manlier' hug. Real mean don't hug. Even Tommy was there to welcome me back. Amongst the usual chatter of 'how was tour?' and 'did you have fun?' I heard Mrs Yamada ask her daughter if she was to expect a bill for any 'unexpected damages' that may have occurred while we were away. Olivia obviously over heard this as well, and mutter nervously to her Gram about a china vase she had tripped into while at our hotel in New York. Sweet girl her, but with feet like a troll.

"Ok guys, I think it's about time we all disbanded and headed to our respectful homes for some much needed rest." Wen announced suddenly, and I became aware of how great sleep sounded. And my own bed. Uhhhhhh, so soft and comfy and inviting…

"Yeahhhh…" I sighed, earning a few weary chuckles from the others.

"How about we all meet up in two days? Same place, same time?" Stella asked as she shouldered her bag.

We all nodded our agreement before slowly parting ways, trawling our way to our parents' cars.

"Charlie! Wait up!"

Turning I looked around to see Mo running towards me, something clutched in her hand.

"You left this on the back seat." She puffed, handing over my prized top hat from our concert.

"Thankyou so much!" I huggled my treasure to my chest, not realising that I was hugging her as well until she squirmed in my grasp. "Opps, sorry."

"It's ok Charlie," she sighed, stepping back as she smoothed out her dress. "I'll see you later ok?" A small smile, a swish of her fantastically smelling hair, and she was gone, heading back to her Baba and boyfriend.

"Come on Charles, let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3

_August 4th 2011_

Don't you hate it when a good dream gets interrupted? There I was, floating down a river on this sweet as drum raft, innocently munching on some spicy tomato chips while I listened to all the best drummers in the world perform a combo of my favourite songs. Peaceful right? Cruising down the river of life, not really noticing the world around you, just going with the flow; cause I'm that kinda guy. I'm mid way through that endless routine of pulling chips out of the packet to place in my mouth, when this bee with a very familiar voice starts buzzing around my head.

"_Charlie! Charlie! Get up! Charlie! Charlie! Get up!"_ It buzzed, dancing through my hair.

"Noo, go away."

"Charles, if you don't stop cuddling your pillow this instant, this bucket of water might have helping hand in pouring itself on you."

Moaning, I rolled onto my side, determent to sink further into my wonderful sleep. The bee frowned before diving towards the bottom of my raft, sourcing out the large snare drum that was keeping it afloat. Lining up its stinger with it, it looked up at me one last time in warning.

"There's no way you can deflate me." I scoff at it, settling back in my pile of luxurious pillows, eating some more chips.

"_Come on Charlie! Get up Charlie!"_

"Last warning Charles."

"Buzz off." I yawned, waving at the bee in annoyance. It side stepped my hand and gave a small shrug. Wriggling its butt like a cat about to pounce, it dived into the snare drum, puncturing the hide with a comical _whoosh! _Immediately the raft began to sink, and I yelled in protest as water lapped at my torso, soaking me thoroughly. I didn't even have time to register drowning in my dream world, as I bolted up in my bed, smacking my head against the empty metal bucket Stella was holding over me.

"Ow!"

"You deserved it."

"What are you even doing here?"

"I'm just keeping my end of our deal. Now hurry up, practice is in an hour." She grinned, before waltzing out of the room triumphantly, leaving me to shiver in my soaked sheets.

Groaning I forced myself out of my once cosy bed and slugged my way towards the bathroom, wondering for the millionth time it had been a good idea to agree to Stella being my alarm clock. Turning the shower on, I stood in front of the mirror for awhile, reflecting on our brief tour. I had always had this bad habit of over sleeping, resulting in some pretty sticky situations, but during the school terms, mum usually woke me up on time. As my mum wasn't with us this summer, late nights turned into late mornings, with me only just making it to practices or interviews some afternoons. Stella being the best friend and oppressor she is, decided that I need an alarm clock, and dragged me out shopping for one while we were in New York. We had stood in the store aisle for ages, debating over the functions of all the alarms, we finally came to an agreement; she'd wake me up every morning, if _only _I provided breakfast. She unfortunately stuck to her word. The others thought it was cute, until her wake up calls dragged them into the mix as well. Rubber arrows, gross slime, 'earthquakes', and bullhorns had all been involved at one stage or another during tour in an effort to wake me up. After one particular concert, she had to use all of her horrible forces combined. That, had been a very depressing day for me. And it seems that the good times just keep coming.

Realising that my reflection was steadily being devoured by steam, I decided to continue my morning musing under the hot water, wondering what songs we were going to rehearse today. Twenty minutes later and yet, still feeling groggy, I stumbled into the kitchen to find Stella munching on a bowl of cornflakes, browsing one of the many fan made sites for our band.

"Morning." I yawned as I passed her to fetch myself a bowl of cereal.

"Hair." She mumbled through her mouthful in reply. Automatically my hand travelled to my head, grabbing fistfuls of spikes my hair had decided to style itself into.

"Steeellll," I whined, turning to find her already beckoning me over, comb in hand, eyes still fixed on the computer screen. Settling down on the tiles in front of her, I let her start to attack my hair, styling it the way I liked.

"Wanna hear what they're saying about us today?" she grinned, already knowing the answer.

"Do I really? No. But you're going to tell me anyway. I'll pretend I'm listening." I sighed, as she paused to scroll back a couple of pages.

"Ah, here we go. '10 Super Cute Reasons Why Stella and Charlie Should _Totally _Get Together',"

"Kill me now."

"'1. Their babies, would look totally cute.'"

And thus, it continued. As she continued reading out the many bullet pointed lists, I wondered if it were possible to drown myself in the segs of milk residing at the bottom of my bowl. Don't get me wrong, I love Stella and all, but as a sister, and to me, it's just wrong to be in love with your sister. She's also like a brother to me, my brother-in-arms, fighting for singledom together whilst the world around us perishes into their suffering relationships. Just cause everyone thought that as we were the only two single-ish people left in the band, we'd immediately jump at each other and hook up. That's not how the world works. As if sensing my mood, Stella stopped reading and looked down at me thoughtfully.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

It took me a further five minutes to brush my teeth, wash my face and hunt for my other shoe under my bed while Stella washed our dishes, before we were stepping outside into the patio, locking the door behind us.

"Who let you in today?"

"Tommy. Oh, tell him thanks for helping me carry that bucket upstairs will ya?"

"Sure."

"No need for that tone mister."

"Sorry."

I should have known that that fine summer morning was going to be ruined the moment I saw Stella standing by my bed in her leather ankle boots. But no. My pea-sized brain didn't register this until a wolf whistle echoed down the street towards us, jolting me from the last of my sleepy thoughts.

"Oi, Delgado! Who's the chick? Your _girlfriend_?"

"Please, anyone, but him." I whispered to the heavens, barely noticing Stella whip around to face the newcomer.

"I'm not his girlfriend." She spat at the boy calmly sitting on his bicycle.

"Ohh, feisty. I like that. If you're not his girl, wanna be mine?" he grinned, leaning forward on his handlebars.

"And who the hell do you think you are?'

"_Running around leaving scars._" He chuckled, before flashing her a wink, "The name's Jones, Tyron Jones. And you are my little spit fire?"

"Not interested. Come on Charlie, let's go." Stella grumbled, grabbing my wrist as she stomped further up the street.

"Hey now, that's no way to treat a man!" Tyron shouted after us, and before I could break out into a run, he had pedalled over, trying to keep his flirt fest going.

"Beat it kid!"

"So how about it? You, me, the whole back row at the cinemas, 'watching' that new chick flick that just came out?"

"How I jam that bike up your ass so you'll have something to fuck with?"

I looked at her in surprise. Usually that kinda language was reserved for Ray. Tyron paled slightly, but it the didn't seem to bother him.

"You're good. I like that."

"Well that's all you're getting. Now go stalk some other unfortunate girl. I don't want you following me home."

"Aw, but if I did, then you could plead with your parents to keep me."

"If we were so fucked up in the head, then the first thing we'd do is neuter you. Now for the last time, piss off." Stella snapped, her temped reaching its boiling point. Tyron scowled and pushed his shoulders back.

"Fine then. I know a lost cause when I see one. Delgado you've got yourself a big dyke on your hands. Eat dirt you losers!" And with those amazing words of wisdom, he pushed off, kicking up the dirt and dust from the side of the road into our faces.

"Ugh, that boy!" Stella spat, rubbing at her face angrily. "Who was he?"

"Tyron the Tyrant. He's the neighbourhood bully. His parents own most of the real estate around here. They're property developers." I explained, helping her brush some of the dirt out of her hair.

"So how come I've never seen him before? I mean, I live around here as well."

"You live two blocks over; it's not the same neighbourhood. Plus, he goes to a different school. Which, I'm thankful for." I argued, while imagining a world where Ray and Tyron double teamed to make my world a living nightmare. Stella must have been thinking the same thing as well as she shuddered and sighed.

"So you're telling me, that you have to go from one tyrant to another, every day?"

"Sometimes. If I'm lucky then I can avoid Tyron for a couple of days before he starts stalking me. I'm guessing that's why he was out here just now." I sighed as we started walking again, passing the construction site as we went.

"Whadda mean?"

"I mean, you know how my mum is a real estate agent?"

"Yeah…"

"It's because of her that we're in no danger of having to up and move because the Jones want us to. You've meet their kid. They're ten times worse. Even Mrs Jones, who at first glance, seems like this sweet little lady, but she's just as cynical as her husband and son."

"Ok," Stella frowned, trying to figure it out, "But that doesn't explain why they would try to kick you out of your home."

"You see all of this?" I asked, waving my hand at the buildings around us.

"Yeah?"

"They're all built on re-leased land, which the Jones specialise in. They've used their cunning and brains for evil, and manipulated the previous owners out of the contract, building _these_," I spat trying to find the right word, "monstrosities in their place."

"Ohhhh, nice big word use there Charles."

"Thankyou. Anyway, once upon a time, there were all these nice little cottages and family homes, until the Jones rolled in and knocked them all down. Now all I see when I look out my window is rows of mansions, including their prized feature."

"The big white columned one being built a little way down from yours?"

"Yeah…how'd you know?"

"Cause it just screams 'I'm more important than you' doesn't it?"

"Yeah… I suppose it does." We stopped and turned around to look at said building, wondering different thoughts. To me, the building didn't scream important; it screamed creepy. With a capital C. I didn't want to have across the street from me.

'Come on, we're going to be late." Stella instructed, grabbing my elbow in a nudge to forward me on.

The rest of the walk was spent relieving in simpler pleasantries, involving the discussion of guitar rifts and percussion instrumentals, which somehow ended up in us arguing over what was better; drums or guitar.

"I'm telling you, in that movie the-"

"Don't even go there! The guitar solo for-"

'It was terrible! You of all people should know that-"

"Oh yeah? Well in that case you should-"

"Good morning sweetheart! And good morning Charlie!" Mrs Yamada said as she swept down the driveway past us.

"Morning mum!"

"Morning Mrs Yamada!"

"Your brothers are at a friends place and your dad doesn't expect to be home until late tonight, so can you pick them up later on and heat up something for tea?' She asked in hurry as she busied herself with opening her car door and depositing her briefcase and luggage on the back seat.

"Sure mum. Anything else you want me to do?" Stella asked, jamming her thumbs into her short pockets in annoyance. Her mother paused for a moment, considering this before shaking her head.

"Not that I can think of. I'm running late dear, I'm sorry. I'll call from Phoenix when I have time." She said, opening her arms for a hug which Stella reluctantly gave her. "Be good. No more revolutionising until I get back. I don't want to miss out on all the fun. And be nice to your brothers."

"Yes mum, I will mum, bye mum." Stella muttered, rolling her eyes with a slight smile. Mrs Yamada sighed knowingly before turning her attention on me.

"Charles, make sure she stays in line will you?"

"Uh, um…sure, Mrs Yamada, sure." I stammered, surprised by her request. Stella flashed me an evil grin as she ushered her mother into the waiting car.

"Come on mum, you're going to get caught in the late traffic."

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Have a safe trip mum."

"I will honey."

"Call us when you get there, ok?" Stella said, holding her fingers up to her ear as a pretend phone, giving her mother that knowing look.

"I will. Oh, and Stella dear, your friends are already here. They're out by the pool. Bye dearies!" And with that, she reversed out of the driveway, before speeding off down the road, making a beeline for the interstate.

"Bye mum…" Stella muttered as she waved the car goodbye before sighing and turning to head inside. "Come on Charlie."

"I suddenly don't want to go inside…" I mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear me. Unfortunately, Stella has ears like a bat.

"Why not? I didn't just drag your ass all the way here for you to say that."

"But I don't want to see all those mushy faces, and the kissing and the flirting…it's distracting and gross!" I whined, digging my heels in as she tried to drag me inside.

"Come, on, Charlie. Do you think I want to see it all as well?"

"You can handle it better. Besides, it's your house. You can kick them out if you want to."

Sighing she let go of my arm and stood before me, giving me a once over. Shifting uncomfortably under her gaze, I wondered what she was thinking when she suddenly held her fist out to me.

"Come on Charlie, they're not going to bite. Singledom?" She smiled, knowing that there was no way I could leave now. Sighing I stacked my fist on top of hers.

"Or die." I muttered, much to her delight.

"Yay, let's go!" she demanded, dragging me up the rest of the driveway.

"But I still don't want to see Wen and Olivia shyly flirting again!"

"Ugh, me neither. Wen needs to man up and ask her out already."

"I know, you think, after that whole Moxie incident-"

"I know!"

That's how the band knew we had arrived. For the second time that morning, I found myself unexpectedly getting drenched in water as they showered us with their water guns.

* * *

"The second cord…yeah that one. Does it sound right to you?"

"How about this? Instead of, _that _word, we change it to…"

"You know, I like the old cord better."

"Mmm, me too. So if we change it to…"

Sitting behind my drum kit, I watched the others hurry around, swapping and comparing notes, tossing lyrics out or simply enjoying some homemade lemonade, courtesy of Olivia's Gram. It's a typical band practice for us all, especially when we're trying to come up with a new song. Scott seemed a little on edge at all the madness, obviously use to his old band's style of practising.

"Crazy isn't it?" I ventured, wondering if he'd actually hold a conversation with me this time. He looked up in surprise, brief wonderment crossing his gaze as he searched for who had talked to him. Seeing me sitting there, idling away, he relaxed and gave a stiff nod.

"Yeah…usually Ray produces all the lyrics and then we work together on producing the tune. I've never seen a band so…frantic." He explained, turning back to watch the others in amazement.

"Mmm, it can be a little crazy at times, but hey, it's our way of life."

"Ohh, I liked that Charlie!" Olivia's head had snapped in our direction, having automatically tuned herself into our conversation. "And we can even work it into the song in the second verse…"

"Or maybe even the chorus." Wen suggested, skimming over the lyrics. "Thanks Charlie!"

"No problem." I shrugged, twirling one of my drumsticks absently. Soon enough everyone had turned back to what they were doing, and I saw Scott staring at me in astonishment.

"What?"

"How…?"

"You get use to it, trust me." I grinned.

The hours dragged on, and eventually it was time for us to call it quits for the day.

"Well team, I think I'm just about beat." Stella yawned, stretching back in her chair as Mo stacked together the music sheets they had been scribbling on.

"I agree. We got nearly two songs completed, which we might be able to play at the next Halloween Bash." Wen suggested wearily.

"That's too far away? Maybe an end of summer concert?" Mo said as she got to her feet, looking around at us all questioningly.

"Maybe. But for now," Olivia paused to cough slightly, before clearing her throat and continuing, "for now, I just want a warm cup of lemonade and some sleep."

A murmur of agreements went round, and soon enough I found myself saying goodbye to the others as I started walking home.

"Don't worry Charlie, tomorrow I'll let you sleep in!" Stella called after me, making the others chuckle.

"Thanks." I yelled back at, before turning around and jamming my hands further into my jacket pockets.

"Olivia, mind if I walk you home? It's getting dark, so I thought, you know…"

"Thanks Wen, I'd…really like that."

"Wen! Make sure you give her a goodnight kiss!"

"Thanks Stella."

Grinning to myself, I strolled on, shivering slightly in the cooling air. It was getting close to tea time, and my thoughts had already bound home, wondering what dad was dishing up for tea that night. I was so lost in my thoughts, that my walk was nearly completed. The sounds of Tyron yelling at some more kid nearby snapped me out of those delicious thoughts, making me wince. He was getting closer, meaning that he'd turn onto this street any minute now, dragging that poor kid behind him on his bike. Glancing around, I noticed a gap in the fence nearby and decided that I'd cut my way across the neighbour's backyards to get home. I'd rather risk getting caught by them than being pelted or dragged by Tyron. Besides, they'd understand.

Ducking through the gap, I hurried along, avoiding the odd shrub or tree branch, sticking to the shadows. Reaching the next fence, I struggled over it, cursing my lack of genes that Tommy had inherited, ultimately glad when I dropped over the other side, into the construction site. Getting to my feet, I brushed myself off, glancing around in the half dusk at the area around me. I never liked this place. It gave me the serious creeps. Deciding that it was best if I just hurried on through and didn't really pay attention to everything around me, I wouldn't feel as crept out. And I did just that…until I tripped over some lumber stacked up at the base of the building pad. Face planting epically, I lay there for a moment before rolling onto my side, groaning in annoyance. What a shit day. Lying there, gathering my strength, I made the mistake of looking up, taking in my surroundings. I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw it. A pale white face was staring at me from one of the cut out windows, framed with stringy white hair. Jumping to my feet, I backed away, tripping over the wood again in my haste. The thing, I'm presuming it's a ghost, glared at me, reaching out with one of it's bony hands, jaw unhinging as if to speak.

I didn't stick around long enough to find out what it wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

_August 5th 2011_

So cold. Ever so cold. Its summer though…why is it so cold? Teeth chattering I huddled further into my blankets, drawing at the little warmth the light cotton provided. Ever since I got home earlier this evening, I felt like I was still bathing in ice cold water. I felt at unease, like I was being watched. I swear that white faced…_thing _was stalking me, breathing down my neck, reaching out with that ghostly hand to grab me by my hair and drag back into the depths of hell itself. Shivering at the thought, I dragged my sheets up to my chin, wishing I had faced off with Tyron instead of taking that short cut. I had thought about texting the others, but I didn't want to hear their jokes and sneers about how the baby of the band needed to be cooed over to make the bad ghostie go away and I just know Stella and Wen would just rip out all the 'monster under your bed' jokes. And my family wouldn't be as consoling either. They'd deny the existence of ghosts, or get me to prove it. Heck, dad would even demand to know why I was trespassing on the construction site anyway. So I stayed quiet. But I couldn't shake that feeling of being watched. All night I stayed away from the windows, which is rather hard in our house come to think of it. I roamed around constantly, not settling down to do anything, and throughout dinner I fidgeted like crazy. I felt scared. Worried. Ready to attack, surprisingly. Every time someone left the room, I felt torn between following them to protect them, or staying behind with the others to protect them as well. So I dithered. The others must have noticed, but they didn't comment on it. They've stopped questioning me on random things ages ago. Am I really that much of a kook?

I stopped shivering for a moment to ponder over this new revelation, forgetting about the incident for a brief moment, even relaxing slightly, before the numbers on my alarm clock flashed that it was 1am in my direction. Yelping silently, I huddled further into the corner of my bed, resuming my flickering gaze from my curtain covered windows to my closed door, daring either one to move first. I nearly screamed with panic when my door started to yawn open. Oh dear god, it's here, it's found me, it's gonna kill me. Will it torture me first? Oh please have mercy, I beg you! You want me to call Uncle? I will! Uncle! Uncle a million times, Uncle!

"Shh, Charlie. Stop that. You sound like a frightened puppy." A familiar voice hissed, before my room light flicked on, revealing my older brother's annoyed face.

"Aaahhh! It stole Tommy's face!" I screamed despite myself. Tommy hurriedly shoved a hand over my mouth, which in my defence, was not the brightest move to make in my current state.

"Ow! Why did you bite me?"

"Stay away you, you….evil…thing! I'm warning you! I-I-I…I know Ti chi!" I stammered, backing up until I was wedged against the wall.

"Charlie calm down! You'll wake mum and dad!"

"Unless you've already killed them! You have haven't you? Oh god, why?" I whispered.

"I am going to smother you with your own pillow in a minute if you don't shut up."

That struck me as weird. Why would a ghost try to kill me with a pillow?

"Caught on yet?" Tommy muttered, as I stared at him warily. "Now, try to settle down. I just came to check on you and I'm glad I did. You seemed freaked out tonight. And what's all this about a ghost?" He demanded. Still wary I sank back down onto my bed, gradually relaxing as I scrutinised him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me kiddo."

I continued to glare at him, judging whether or not I could really take his word for it. Knowing my brother, he wouldn't leave until he heard the whole story, and to be honest, if I were to have anyone on my side, it'd be him straight off the bat. Sighing I grabbed my pillow and hugged it to my chest, feeling like a teenage girl about to admit her biggest secret.

"This evening when I was walking back from Stella's I…I saw something that freaked the hell out of me." I admitted finally.

"Where?" He asked, looking confused.

"That construction site for the white mansion."

"The one with the columns?"

"The one with the columns." I agreed.

"Why were you there in the first place?"

"Tyron…"

Thankfully that's all I needed to say for him to understand.

"Ah ok. So you by passed through there and what? Saw a construction worker 'gettin' jiggy withit'?"

"Ew gross dude. And who says 'gettin' jiggy withit' anymore? No. I tripped and as I was getting to my feet again I happened to look into the…house and…." I trailed off, the image coming to mind again. I'm not sure if it was my imagination or my memory, but I swear its cheeks had that dangling flesh look…as if it had been torn to shreds and was just, hanging there. I shuddered again, wishing to get rid of the image as Tommy sat there, pondering over it.

"So you saw this ghost you've been screaming about?"

I shrugged in an 'I guess you could call it that' way. Taking this in, Tommy nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. Honestly the way you were pacing, following us around, fidgeting at dinner, it wasn't normal. Mum and Dad just said you were still getting over your tour hype, but you looked scared. Freaked out even. But what makes you think you actually saw it? Did you hit your head when you fell?"

He didn't need to say it, but I knew what he was thinking. Maybe I had imagined it. I would like to say I had, but I know for a fact that my head did not connect with anything when I fell. I went to tell him this, but his expecting look made me realise that he had already come to his conclusion.

'Yeah…I might of." I lied, sighing to add effect. He just nodded like the wiser older brother he is before clapping me on the shoulder as he got up to leave.

"Good we had this discussion. We'll get your head checked in the morning ok? But for now, try to get some rest." He smiled before glancing at the clock, hand hovering over the light switch. "Oh and Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Witching hour doesn't start until 2am…"

I don't know if my pillow hit him. He flicked off the light before I could see. But one thing's for sure, I was too scared to leave my bed to retrieve it for the rest of the night.

* * *

Band practice was sounding like a repeat of Rising Star. Or at least the first time we all jammed together as a potential band. I couldn't concentrate. Any hope of sleep I was hoping to catch last night had disappeared after Tommy had talked to me, and my sleep deprived brain kept sending me signals to jump and constantly check over my shoulder for a ghostly presence. Eventually Stella had enough of my cymbal bashing and rounded on me in annoyance.

"Charlie man! What's wrong with you today?" she demanded, as the others dwindled to a halt, random chords crashing together as Olivia's voice flattered. Grabbing one still ringing cymbal, I flinched at her voice, wondering how I was going to answer this reasonably.

"I'm sorry…just, had a bad night's sleep." I sighed.

"Dude, quiet frankly you look like you didn't get any sleep at all." Wen stated, leaning over his keyboard to get a better look at my face.

"Yeah Charlie, is that really all that happened?" Olivia whispered her worrying side surfacing slowly as she clutched the microphone stand tightly.

"You've been jumping at every loud noise, and you look like you expect someone to come sneaking up on you." Mo put in, turning to Scott for backup on her observation.

'Fine…um, you all know how Tommy's home for the summer?" They all nodded and muttered a few words. "Well he told me this ghost story last night and I-"

"Say no more dude, I know how you feel." Wen cut in, holding up a hand in bro's sympathy. "I tried telling one to Georgie once and ended up scaring myself."

Stella and Scott exchanged a look before snorting in amusement. Though Wen looked aghast, no one else could resist laughing. Even I let out a few weak chuckles despite myself.

"What? Oh yeah, very funny. Go ahead and laugh. Just let me tell you, ghost stories are no laughing matter." Wen scowled, looking towards Olivia for backup only to see her clutching her side as she hung onto the mic stand for support as she laughed.

It took us a while to calm down, but I found I was slightly more relaxed when we started up again, though I did muck up every now and then. It made me wonder if I should really tell them the whole truth.

After practice, the girls decided that they'd go to Mo's for a while to do…well whatever it girls do together. Shop? Paint each other's toenails? Gossip? I dunno. I'ma dude. We don't do that. So because of these plans, we guys decided to go for a cruise around town in Scott's car, munching on some takeaways from Dante's. We passed Ray and some other soccer players at one stage, and Wen being the subtle guy he is, swallowed his mouthful of pizza and leaned over the passenger to seat to ask, "Hey, Scott…how's things between you and Ray been lately?"

Scott snorted in disdain and indicated to turn the corner at the lights.

"Dude you ask that like we broke up or something." He muttered, leaning back in his seat as we waited for the light to turn green. Wen blushed slightly at this and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.

"I just meant, you know, I…never mind." He stammered, sinking back into his seat. The light changed and Scott slowly eased around the corner, obviously debating over whether or not he should answer. Eventually he sighed and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in annoyance.

"We talk…kinda of. I mean, throughout tour he sent me emails or txts…some weren't that nice, sure, but he's been civil lately."

"Yeah most likely cause he wants to continue climbing the popularity ladder." Wen grumbled into the back of my seat, cause Scott to flash him an annoyed glance.

"Maybe…but he's still my best friend. We go way back. Whether we like it or not, we can't bail on one another." Feeling uncomfortable with this conversation, I decided to look out as to where we were now. Imagine my surprise when I saw a familiar construction sign glaring at me from across the road. I let out an unmanly yelp and jumped back in my seat, startling the others.

"Charlie! What's wrong?"

"Dude! Trying to drive here!"

Panting, I tried to slow my racing heart, wordlessly pointing back the way we came. Wen turned around in his seat to see what I was pointing at, and when he saw the site he looked confused.

"What about it?"

"H-h-house, g-g-ghost, s-story! Tommy!" I managed to stutter, not wanting to turn around to look at it. Unfortunately, Scott decided that now was a great time to pull over to see what all the fuss was about. Seeing the house he grinned that old bad boy grin.

"Tommy told you a ghost story about a construction site? Sweet. Let's go check it out." He said, already opening his door.

"What?"

"Come on Charlie, if we go there, maybe you can get over…whatever it is you're fearing." Scott reasoned. I just stared at him in shock before turning to Wen for back up. I was glad to see that even he looked uncomfortable about it.

"Maybe, maybe it's not a good idea.' He stammered, hunching his shoulders up to his ears. Scott leaned in the open car door in a typical 'cool guy' stance, raising an eyebrow at him in disbelief.

"What are you scared of? This ghost Charlie's imagining?"

"No!" Wen stammered quickly, before clearing his voice. "What if the builders are there? Or if someone calls the cops?"

"Wen, it's a construction site. There's a million of them around here. And from the looks of it, some of these homes are near completion, so no one will be working on them. They'll be wanting to work on the other homes before the end of summer. Over autumn they'll finish them all." Scott reasoned, shrugging casually. I hated to admit it, but he was right.

"But, but…"

_Keep fighting Wen. _I mentally encouraged him, but all hope vanished when Scott stood up and gave another shrug stating, "How disappointed Olivia will be when she hears you didn't even show some manly courage when offered the opportunity to sneak onto an abandoned construction site…in _broad daylight._" I knew I was going to have to go one way or another as soon as Wen huffed and forcefully pulled open his door to jump out onto the street. Grinning, Scott stuck his head back into the car and drummed his fingers on the roof.

"Coming Charlie?"

Five minutes later we were picking our way through the remaining rubble, arguing quietly.

"Guys you don't understand! We can't go in here!" I tried to argue in futile, hoping that they'd just stop to listen to me. But Wen was stomping his way ahead of us, wanting to prove his manliness as Scott casually strolled in front of me, grinning like an idiot behind his shades.

"Keep it up Charlie, nothing you say is gonna keep us from exploring this place."

"But the ghost!"

"Is from whatever story Tommy told you." Wen shouted over his shoulder, jumping over a bucket of rusty nails. "Come on, Scott's right. There's nothing to fear."

Even I could hear the stammer in his voice on that last part.

"You guys don't understand!" I cried in exasperation, wishing that they'd just stop and listen to me for a moment.

"I wonder why these home owners decided on white columns for their house." Scott murmured as he walked over to them, running a hand over the marble like material.

"Rich assholes I'd expect." Wen muttered, joining him at a nearby window, shading his eyes as he peered in. I waited for him to scream and fall backwards like I did. It was the same window after all. When he didn't I started to wonder if I had imagined it all. Or maybe it wasn't showing its face as it wasn't dusk…yeah, maybe that was it.

"Guys, check it out. The back door is unlocked." Scott called, beckoning us over. Wen turned towards him, jumping off the brick wall he had been standing on, leaving a small circle in the dusty window. After hesitating for a moment, I started to follow, glancing at the window again. In the sunlight it looked like something was staring out at me.

Inside the house was creepy. I was expected dark, gloomy, haunted house kind of environment, but it was more of the eerie, empty mansion type. The kind where you expect an axe murderer to jump out at you at any minute now. Wen looked nervous as well, as we stuck together, cautiously peering into each room before venturing further. Scott roamed ahead, picking up the odd object every now and then, humming an old Mudslide Crush song under his breath as he did. It was rather bright in the house, but not from the summer sunshine streaming in. Everything was white or grey. It was dull, but it reminded me of a hospital. If I had known what mausoleums looked like, I would have described it as that. Shuffling from room to room, I couldn't relax. It didn't help that the Jones' family logo was plastered everywhere, constantly reminding trespassers who would sue their asses if they got caught.

"Is it just me, or has it got cold in here?" Wen chattered suddenly, his elbow hitting me as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to get warm. Scott made a _psshi_ng kind of noise in dismissal, turning his attention to the staircase.

"You're just imagining it. Hey, I wanna check upstairs. Let's go." He instructed, already moving towards them.

"Uhh, dude, I'm not sure. I kinda want to get out of here." Wen stammered, suddenly looking very pale. "I feel like something is watching me."

"That's how I've been feeling all day! I'm telling you, this place is not right!" I exclaimed, happy that someone was finally catching on.

"Chickens." Scott sighed, as he placed a foot on the staircase.

"_Too far…" _

I don't know who jumped more; me and Wen or Scott as we all screamed like little girls at the voice.

"Not cool guys!" Scott angrily rounded on us once he had composed himself, expecting to find us rolling on the ground laughing, but only to see us clutching one another, staring at the top of the stairs in terror. Dramatically (I swear that boy could be in the movies), he turned to look up, paling beneath his designer shades when he finally saw it. I don't know if it was a boy or girl, it was too decayed to tell, but without a doubt it was definitely a ghost, staring down at us through it's hollowed out eyes. Large chunks of what could have once been flesh dangled from it's cheekbones, matting in with it's long, twisted hair, some of which I'm guessing had once been plaited. I didn't pay much attention to the rest of it. Only that same hand, reaching out to grab me as it opened its unhinging jaw to speak again.

"_You…you went too far." _

I think we broke the world record in the 200 metre sprint in our race to get back to the car.

* * *

If Mrs Banjaree was shocked to see three devilish teenage boys standing on her front doorstep that afternoon, she didn't show it. She just wordlessly let us run inside and towards Mo's room where we knew the girls would be chilling. Fortunately we had already text them in advance, warning them of our visit as we crashed into her room without warning, tripping over Olivia who was lying on the floor, all the while screaming about ghosts and haunted mansions. It took them some time to calm us down, and even longer to coax the story out of us. When they didn't believe us, I had to recount my story from the night before. The guys didn't laugh this time. The girls still looked doubtful. Well, Stella did. Olivia and Mohini looked nervous. Smart girls.

"I don't believe anything until I see it." Stella argued with us, pacing the small amount of space left in Mo's room.

"Just believe us Stel! Honestly, I wouldn't have believed Charlie earlier, but I've seen it and I wish I hadn't!" Scott argued, still shaking in Mo's arms as she cuddled him.

"It was freaky man. I've never been so scared in my life." Wen whispered, drawing his knees tighter to his chest.

"Why did you go in anyway Wen? I thought you didn't like haunted houses?" Olivia asked him softly, peering at him curiously through her hair.

"Scott challenged my manliness." He replied, blushing slightly. Olivia cooed sympathetically and patted his arm, making him blush more. Honestly, I may be oblivious to most things, but they seriously needed to get together…soon.

"Maybe we should just take their word for it Stella." Mo suggested, seeing how badly we were all shaking. Stella looked out the window thoughtfully, and I just knew an evil plan was circulating in that brain of hers.

"It's nearing dusk. If there really is a ghost there like you all claim, it's more likely to show itself then right?" she reasoned, already grabbing her jacket and jumping over our tangle of legs and pillows. "Come on, Scott you'll have to drive us. If there's nothing there, I'll have to seriously consider removing your rights to a man card you guys."

"And if there is a ghost?" I demanded, my heart sinking when she just smiled mischievously.

"Then it'll be an adventure for Lemonade Mouth wouldn't it?"


End file.
